StuStu Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Great story. A good friend of mine worked for Cook (friend is biomedical engineer), and the Bill Cook at work was very highly regarded from my friend's experiences--the day Mr. Cook died, my friend reacted as if Mr. Cook were a family member. Wandering a bit off topic here, but Bill Cook was also passionate about preservation of historic places. Perhaps the best know of these is the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana (home of Larry Bird). Eighty years ago, the hotel was a wonder of the modern world, and a playground for the rich and famous. After the stock market crash in 1929 the place emptied out almost literally over night, and never regained it's prior stature. Bill Cook was central to not only saving the building, but making it into a modern casino and resort. If one is ever in the area, it's worth checking out. A very cool building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thTimeAround Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Wandering a bit off topic here, but Bill Cook was also passionate about preservation of historic places. Perhaps the best know of these is the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, Indiana (home of Larry Bird). Eighty years ago, the hotel was a wonder of the modern world, and a playground for the rich and famous. After the stock market crash in 1929 the place emptied out almost literally over night, and never regained it's prior stature. Bill Cook was central to not only saving the building, but making it into a modern casino and resort. If one is ever in the area, it's worth checking out. A very cool building. As an employee of Cook, we're carted off to West Baden and French Lick resorts as part of every employee's new-hire orientation. One thing that gives an insight in to how fantastic and caring Bill Cook was- he kept every resort worker on the payroll during the restoration, even though they had nothing to do while the property was redone. They were paid to essentially sit at home until the restoration was complete. He didn't want to distress the area any more than it was by putting people out of work. As much as I appreciate the amazing work he's done to restore historic properties throughout Indiana, what truly made Bill special to me is how well he handled people. His moral and ethical stance was beyond amazing. And his ability to be "one of us" was not a front- he was never afraid to do the dirty job himself. And to this day, the company holds true to his vision of doing the right things for the right reasons. /threadjack Now back to topic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 The pandering plan of Mason did not result in "everyone loving" the corps. The boos continued, even with a patriotic show. Kind of got the same vibe from Cadets this year. The Christmas concept just seemed to forced and cheesy, and was an unfortunate package for a very talented group of kids. So funny - I was just thinking the exact same thing re: Cadets before I read your post. Even though it didn't get the same level of negative reaction, it also underwhelmed a lot of people with its rather simplistic and cliche' approach. Another reminder that in most things in life, it is best to try to give voice to your own unique vision and have the chips fall as they may, rather than guess at what you are sure someone else will like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Here's a great example of the resentment - When Star unveiled that huge Statue of Liberty banner at the end of the show, a friend of mine who taught guard for one of the traditional big six said "good God, why don't they just raise a giant banner of a gold AMEX card?" That was the type of resentment that was there amongst the other top corps as a new player, with deep pockets, shook up the competitive rankings. Harvey Despite their supposed reputation for tossing money at everything, that appearance had really been toned down from the early days of the gerbil wheels and circus wagons....until that giant scrim. I think it was introduced for Semifinals, and even I went "oh no...." It was huge, glitsy and really gave the impression of gross excess, because the show was ending in a fine manner before it was added. It made their superbly restrained and simplistic program the next year seem that much more creative and spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I don't know - musically, I didn't feel Star's music was simplistic at all. Sure they used Morton Gould's stuff, which contains familiar melodies. But the charts themselves were very much structured in a similar fashion to their '91 show, right down to the mello runs at the end of the song. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 _sigh_ When you post stuff like this with such intense authority, it tends to make one disregard your entire content. Jim Mason did not "write Star of Indiana music" in 92, in 93 ... or ever. You post as if you understood Mason's intentions and motivations, yet you don't even know his role. What are you talking about ? Prime, Van Doren, Mason were the architects. I do know their roles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 If you've (I mean "all of you" you) never read it, it's well worth a half hour or so. http://starofindiana.com/history/rec5.html JIM MASON'S PSYCHE IN 1992For Jim, 1992 was a pivotal year because the show was designed for a broad audience appeal and the result was a hostile crowd. At that time, he decided to explore different directions. His frustrations led him to the 1993 Medea program because he wanted to give the organization a vehicle where they would be in control of their performance from beginning to end.Looking back at Medea, there were no opportunities for the audience to react until the show was over. This concept made some of the audience uncomfortable and created even more controversy. I guess that was Jim's vengeance. Also at that time, he began to contemplate doing something other than drum corps with the Star of Indiana. Perhaps the seed of Brass Theater was planted during this period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 (edited) This was exactly it. Star had percussion issues in '92 that were cleared up in '93 ( Star won drums in '93) Star was entertaining in '92, but 93 was a year you could flip a coin between Star and Cadets by Finals for weho was " the best " that year in '93. Edited August 17, 2012 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 You know, I respectfully disagree here. Although the link is for semis, the perc program, to my ears, was of higher quality than scored. Really good stuff. I loved this program then, and I love it now. I really appreciated them hanging with the mylar (Premier Marathons, FTW!). It's barely audible, but right around 5:02 you hear a "flawless, snares." Sums up my thoughts for the most part for that line that year. yep. very rare that I disagree with percussion scoring, but that year 2 percussion lines stood head and shoulders above the pack....Star on mylar heads no less, and Crossmen. Cavies on the cd sound unglodly filthy, and live it wasn't that hot either. Cadets the opening intro attack....take cover from that sharpnel. BD? Phantom? egads! SCV....good stuff there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspaDave Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Maybe it is just me then, but nothing from Star's percussion in '92 (and '90) sticks with me. I do appreciate them sticking with mylar. Would have been nice if they had kept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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